Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate to a subpixel arrangement structure for a display device.
Discussion of the Related Art
Examples of a display device for implementing an image include a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, and a plasma display panel (PDP).
An active matrix type organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) display includes an organic light emitting diode (OLED) element having a self-emitting structure, and thus has advantages such as a fast response time, excellent light emitting efficiency, a high luminance, and a wide viewing angle. The AMOLED display controls a current flowing in an OLED (or the OLED element) using thin film transistors (TFTs) to thereby display an image.
The AMOLED display generally includes a plurality of red, green, and blue subpixels, so as to achieve a full color display. A RGB stripe structure illustrated in FIG. 1 is known as an arrangement structure of the subpixels of the AMOLED display.
As shown in FIG. 1, each of pixels formed on a display panel 10 includes a red subpixel SPR, a green subpixel SPG, and a blue subpixel SPB, which are positioned adjacent to one another in a horizontal direction. The red, green, and blue subpixels SPR, SPG, and SPB are arranged in a stripe form and are partitioned by a black region 11. OLEDs of the red, green, and blue subpixels SPR, SPG, and SPB have a red light emitting layer, a green light emitting layer, and a blue light emitting layer, respectively. The red, green, and blue light emitting layers of the red, green, and blue subpixels SPR, SPG, and SPB are separately deposited through a fine metal mask (FMM) method using a shadow mask.
The FMM method requires a process margin of a predetermined distance between the adjacent red, green, and blue subpixels SPR, SPG, and SPB. As a resolution of the display panel 10 increases, a distance between the subpixels decreases. Therefore, opening areas of the subpixels has to decrease so as to secure the process margin. However, when the opening areas decreases, an aperture ratio and a luminance of the display panel 10 are entirely reduced. Accordingly, because the display panel 10 having the RGB stripe structure has a high resolution limit, a new arrangement structure of subpixels has been demanded.